Sony won’t be updating its low end Android device Xperia U to any further versions of Android, the device will stick Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Xperia U owners may not worry as custom ROMs are always there to give a new life to their device and try out something new every second. There has been a number of CyanogenMod 11 builds landing in for the device, but the nightly versions only. While finding a custom ROM for Xperia U on the XDA developers forum, I came across CyanogenMod 11 thread and found that a stable build is already available for the device, that means Xperia U owners can enjoy Android 4.4 KitKat unofficially on their device with lesser bugs and faster performance now.

As you move forward, you will find the complete method to install this CyanogenMod 11 stable Android 4.4 KitKat custom ROM on your Sony Xperia U. The only thing you should keep in mind is, proceed only if you’re familiar with the custom Android operating systems, and you have good idea of what you’re going to do. Let’s move forward now.

Installation Instructions:

Make sure that your phone is Xperia U ST25i. Do not try this on any other phone.

Make sure that your phone’s bootloader is unlocked, if not then unlock it here.

Please make sure that your phone’s battery is charged at least over 60%. This is highly recommended in order to prevent any power issues during the recovery flashing process.

Backup your current system using a custom recovery (CWM or TWRP) if you’ve flashed one. This is recommended in case something goes wrong with rooting your phone, you can use the custom recovery and return to the old working state of your system.

Keep in mind that this is a custom ROM and may contain bugs. We do not guarantee that everything will be perfect and up to the mark. Flash it only if you’re familiar with custom ROMs and you actually know what you’re going to do.

Make sure that you read the instructions carefully and applied all precautionary measures. Let’s go ahead.

Disclaimer: The methods involved in flashing custom roms and rooting your phone is highly custom and may result in bricking your device, and has nothing to do with Google or the device manufacturer that is Sony in our case. Also rooting your device will void its warranty and you will be no longer eligible for any kind of free device services by the manufacturers/warranty providers. In case of any mishap we may not be held responsible. Follow these instructions to the letter to avoid any mishap or bricking. Make sure that whatever you do, you are doing it at your own responsibility.

Open the downlaoded ROM.zip on your PC and extract theBoot.img file only.

Now place the kernal file that is boot.img file that you extracted from the zip folder in the fastboot folder that you downloaded from the guide linked above.

After placing the kernel file in the fastboot folder, open the fastboot folder. Press shift and then Right click on any empty area inside the folder, now select “Open command prompt here“. flash it using the command

That’s all for now. Do tell us about your experience with this ROM. In case you got any queries or you face any difficulties, feel free to stop by the comment box below. We will try our best to help you out. Thanks all!